Today, many retail purchase decisions are made in the market aisles, when a customer encounters the desired goods. To make the act of product selection as simple and as satisfying as possible, manufacturers try to display their products in attractive and informative packaging. One particularly effective package for small to medium size items is the thermoformed blister package, either in a clamshell or with a paper backing card. The blister package, when made of transparent plastic, permits the customer to see the product directly. A blister package is also capable of containing one or multiple products.
While consumers seek an appealing product, appropriately displayed, they also desire to purchase a product at a competitive price. For this reason, packages have been designed to minimize the stocking and set-up time required of the merchant and/or jobber who must transfer the products from the shipping carton to the retail shelves. Although boxed goods are usually stacked one upon another, blister packages are typically displayed upright, hanging from a projecting hook or peg.
Most blister packages have one or more hook holes, and are placed, one after the other, on one or two hooks or pegs. Packages intended for the retail display of merchandise must meet several demanding requirements. Such packages should be designed so that they are easily loaded with product, contain one or more hook holes so that they can be readily mounted for display, and be aesthetically attractive in appearance. In addition, for many products, it is desirable that the customer be able to see the product directly.
In addition to the above mentioned requirements, many specialty retailers are encountering situations where a prospective purchaser wishes to remove the new product from the blister package and compare it to an existing product to make sure he or she is buying an identical replacement product. This is especially true for stores that sell automobile, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, etc. components where the customer is replacing an existing part. In these situations, the sales person would like to be able to open the blister package without destroying the package and remove the product so the customer can compare it to an existing product. If the product is not what the consumer desires, the retailer can then place the product back into the blister package and close it. In the past, a blister package could only be opened by tearing or cutting the package. If the product was not the desired product, the retailer then had to return the product and torn package back to the manufacturer for repackaging. Alternatively, the retailer had to tape the package closed and this tended to discourage other consumers from purchasing the product, fearing that the product had been tampered with.
Now a blister package has been invented with a securement mechanism which can be opened only once to avoid someone tampering with the product or products contained therein. A method of forming and filling the blister package is also disclosed.